Subterraneus Regina
by journal129
Summary: It's been a few years since the eighth human fell into the Underground. They spared monsters when they could, but in cases where MERCY wasn't available, they would panic. They would FIGHT. All candidates for the throne but one vanished in a single night. But the Royal Council has decided that Papyrus needs a Queen alongside him. And another human has fallen underground...Oh dear...
1. You're Kinda Boned

Deep in the forest of Snowdin, an old purple door slowly creaked open. The door, worn and broken from time's footprint, led to the Ruins: the only area humans ever came from when they fell into the Underground.

The area **that** human had come from a few years ago.

The human was a child, appearing to be ten or so years old. Nobody ever found out **their** name, or if they did, they never shared. **They'd** managed to plunge the kingdom into deeper despair than it'd ever been.

Because **they** were scared.

 **They** were a sweet kid, really. **They** used **[MERCY]** whenever possible. However...there were instances in which **[MERCY]** was not an option. And in those instances **they** had panicked, and **they** would **[FIGHT]**.

In one night, the Underground had lost their king, their long-missing queen, their scientist, their star, and their hero. All to one child.

But **that** human was not the one taking her first step into the cold snow of the icy region. No, this one was much older, clearly in her twenties. Her wavy ginger hair fell to her shoulders, framing her pale, freckled face. Silver-blue eyes looked around in awe at the landscape before them - a winter wonderland in the middle of June, underground no less. Bree O'Connor, an Irish girl of 26, hugged her fluffy cyan jacket close and shivered. "Is this snow...? Underground...?" She stopped, bending down to pick up a handful. It appeared to be perfectly normal, as if it'd fallen from the sky. She could even see the little snowflakes that made it up. "This place is insane..." She murmured, before dropping the snow and continuing down the path.

As she walked, she came across a large tree branch, about as big around as a grapefruit. It was too large to pick up and use as a hiking stick (though she'd love to have had one), but it was still small enough to walk over. Bree looked up at the trees above, trying to identify which of the evergreens had dropped it. Though, none of them seemed to be missing any branches...Shaking off the curiosity, the Irish woman continued down the path.

 ***SNAP***

Bree whirled around in alarm. She could see nothing, however, except that branch-

-which had been snapped in half as if it were nothing.

She looked around warily. What could have caused that...? However, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Giving the branch another glance, she hurried onward.

 ***crunch...crunch...crunch...***

At the sound of crunching snow, she turned around again. Yet, still she couldn't see anyone or anything. Was it another one of those...monster things? The ones in the Ruins? She pulled her jacket closer to her body. "Hello? Anyone there?" She called.

But nobody came.

Bree tried to think of a logical reason for the sounds and the broken branch. "Maybe there's...dogs around here or something..." She told herself as she turned back to the path. Panicking would do her no good right now. Ahead lay a bridge, and she walked to cross it-

 ***crunch-crunch-crunch-crunch***

She froze as the footsteps increased in speed, coming to a stop behind her. She could practically feel the danger looming over her.

"HUMAN . . ."

Her blood ran cold at the voice, a voice deeper than any human's could ever go.

"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW TO GREET A NEW FRIEND? TURN AROUND AND SHAKE MY HAND. . ."

Bree swallowed nervously, then closed her eyes, spun around, and thrust out her hand in front of her, meeting one that didn't quite feel human and shaking it...

 ***Ppppppppppppppppppppppppffffffft!***

Her eyes blinked open, stunned. "...the huh?"

Before her stood a stout skeleton, maybe about four feet tall. He wore casual clothing - a hoodie, a T-shirt, black shorts, and a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. From his eyesockets glowed a pair of ethereal lights, and his mouth was in a wide grin. "hehehe...the ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick. gets 'em every time."

Bree stared in shock. "You're...you're a skeleton!"

"yup." He replied. "the name's sans. sans the skeleton." He winked at that last bit.

Bree didn't speak for what felt like a full minute before finding her voice. "...is this some sort of purgatory or something? Because back in that old ruined area I ran into some frogs and bugs that could talk..."

Sans' grin seemed to widen ever so slightly, as if he found it amusing. "yeah, no. this isn't purgatory. though i'm surprised you got past those puzzles."

"You mean the spike maze? That wasn't that bad..." She paused. "Sorry, I'm Bree O'Connor. Nice to meet you, I guess...?" Another pause. "Am I dead?"

"nah, you're just in the underground. home of the monsters." Sans said in reply.

"...monsters?"

"yeah. for example, me and my bro papyrus are skeleton monsters."

Bree searched for something to reply with. What could she reply with? Was there even a proper response to that? Amazement? Agreement? Instead, she said the first thing that came to mind. "This is surreal..."

Sans shrugged. "yeah, humans that leave the ruins tend to be a little shocked."

"Right..." Bree frowned a little. "So...uh...how do I get home?"

The short skeleton shoved his hands into his pockets, casually leaning back on his heels. "sorry, but you're outta luck. you see, we're kept down here by a magical barrier - anything can enter, but next to nothing can leave. you'd need a soul as powerful as that of a human and a monster to cross over."

"So I'm stuck here..."

"basically, yeah."

Bree was silent for a moment, before straightening up, filled with determination. "I'll find a way out."

Sans looked amused, though his face didn't visibly change. "good luck with that."

"Just you watch." She replied, and with that, she spun on heel and continued across the bridge.

The monster watched her leave, checking her **LOVE.** It was only at one...that was new. "alright, pal." He said, before his left eye glowed a bright, aqua blue, and he shortcutted out of sight.

Bree continued down the path until she came across what appeared to be a lamp - though, it was conveniently shaped to perfectly hide a small child. She eyed it curiously. "Odd..." She murmured, before pulling out her phone and taking a picture. She got a feeling that she was going to be using her camera a lot down here. As she turned back to the road, she spotted something else up in the snow - something that gave off light. Curious, she approached.

It appeared to be a golden star. Strange.

She raised an eyebrow, reaching out to touch it.

 *** The convenience of that lamp still fills you with determination.**

 **BREE O'CONNOR - LV1**

 **Snowdin Forest - Box Road**

 **FILE SAVED**

* * *

Far away from Snowdin, in the castle that loomed over the providence of New Home, a different skeleton monster sat at a table, surrounded by his council. He wore a red cape clasped together by a circle with a pair of wings over a gray tunic with three triangles that completed the Delta Rune of the Underground. At his waist was a piece of metallic armor, designed to safeguard the weak points of his hips, and blue-gray trousers which were tucked into knee-high leather boots. A crown sat upon his skull, gold with red jewels set into it. The king of the Underground looked at the notes he'd taken over what they'd covered so far. "OKAY, WHAT'S NEXT ON THE AGENDA?" He asked.

The leader of the council, a fire monster by the name of Burnell, cleared his throat. "Your Majesty," he began, "It's come to our attention that you haven't seemed...interested in anybody as of late. Romantically speaking, that is."

Papyrus raised an eyeridge curiously. "SO?"

"As king, you are responsible for the success of the Underground." Burnell explained. "And one of your duties as king is to take a queen as your wife and provide a male heir to the throne."

"OH, RIGHT. WELL...I HAVEN'T MET ANYONE YET...?" He replied.

Burnell sighed. "We suggest that you find someone soon, regardless of if they meet your romantic expectations or not, Your Highness."

"It'll really bring the Underground's hopes up. A royal wedding would get everyone in brighter moods." Another council member added.

A third nodded. "And it would show the Underground you're a capable ruler."

The tall skeleton rubbed his temple, thinking. "...ALRIGHT," He finally said. "I'LL TRY TO FIND SOMEONE..."

Burnell gave a slight smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"YOU'RE WELCOME."


	2. DON'T MOVE AN INCH!

Papyrus walked out of the meeting room, his advisor at his side and the topics of discussion on his mind. A wife? For him? It seemed a little strange to think about.

Okay, a lot strange.

But it had to be done. Papyrus had had to study the kings and queens before his coronation. He knew that all the kings before had been married, to include King Asgore to his wife Queen Toriel. Who, Sans said, had both gone on vacation.

Vacation...he could use one right about now. But there was no resting from royal duties.

"hey, paps."

Sans' voice jerked Papyrus from his thoughts, and he spun around, a large smile on his face. "BROTHER! IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU!"

The shorter skeleton grinned, giving a casual shrug. "just wanted to let you know that a human got through the ruins and is now going through snowdin forest."

Papyrus' smile brightened further. "REALLY? THAT'S GREAT!"

"i know," Sans replied. "i just thought i should tell you."

The king was about to continue, when he noticed his Advisor had almost walked off without him. He sighed, then smiled again. "WELL, I'DLOVE TO CATCH UP, BUT THERE'S THINGS TO BE DOING ..." He quickly thought up an explanation for those "things" he must be doing, starting with what was next on his daily agenda. "SPAGHETTI FOR THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND WON'TCOOK ITSELF!"

"of course, bro." Sans grinned. "see ya."

Papyrus turned and started to walk off, but as he did, his personal advisor went over to Sans. "Sans...? Could I speak to you for a moment?"

"sure." Sans leaned back on his heels. "what's up?"

The advisor glanced at the king. "It's an official matter."

Sans suddenly got a much more serious face. "ah. what seems to be the matter?"

"The council brought up his..." The advisor struggled for the right words. "Lack of wife and heir in today's meeting."

The skeleton arched an eyeridge. "what'd he say?"

"The king said he'd look into meeting someone...though I think the Council's opting for an arranged marriage with whoever would be most beneficial both to his rule and to the Underground's morale."

"hm..." Sans thought about it for a moment. "in the case of an arranged marriage, who would you say is the best option?"

"Well...a female skeleton would be good. Are there any?" The advisor asked.

"nope. it's just me and paps - the other skeletons are dead."

"Then...the best option, if it were possible, would be a human."

Sans crossed his arms, then gave a brief nod. "there's one going through snowdin forest right now."

"Really?" The advisor perked up. "Find out as much about them as you can - provided they can pass the puzzles in place. You said they made it through the Ruins set?"

"that's right. they said the spikes were easy enough, and that they didn't run into much difficulty."

"What's their **LOVE**...?" He asked, somewhat apprehensive. All the humans coming through had a **LOVE** of at least three. And a killer could not be queen...

"one."

The advisor immediately brightened. "One?"

"one. they didn't even have any exp."

"That's promising...!"

Sans nodded. "yup."

"Can you keep an eye on them, please? See if they're a decent candidate."

The skeleton grinned. "alrighty-rue. i'll keep an eyesocket on the human. anything else?"

"Any ideas on how to get the Council to postpone anything rash?"

Sans thought it over. Last thing he wanted was the Council pairing his brother up with anyone he hadn't personally evaluated first. "...tell them i'm in charge of inspecting suitors. if they want to suggest anyone, they have to run it by me first."

"Perfect! I'll go tell them now."

"and i'll go check on the human."

And with that, the advisor was left alone in the hallway.

* * *

For awhile, the road before her was long, icy, and uneventful. Bree had seen nothing of interest since the gold star, and there was nothing but snow and pine trees all around. Except for the ceiling above, which was covered in glowing, star-like stones far above. It was one of the prettiest things she'd ever seen. She must have taken at least ten pictures of it by now. Even now, she was pulling out her phone to take yet another one until-

 ***bump***

Bree stumbled back, bumping into...a cardboard box? What was a cardboard box doing out here? Bree frowned, looking it over. It was empty, but she noticed some narration on the box, written in perfect Papyrus font.

 **YOU OBSERVE THE WELL-CRAFTED SENTRY STATION.**

 **WHO COULD HAVE BUILT THIS, YOU PONDER...**

 **I BET IT WAS THAT VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN!**

 **(NOTE: NOT YET A VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN.)**

 **EDIT: NOW A VERY FAMOUS KING OF THE UNDERGROUND!**

Bree raised an eyebrow. "King...?" She looked closer.

 **ADDITIONAL NOTE: FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, THIS IS KING PAPYRUS!**

"King Papyrus?" Bree mumbled. "Didn't Sans say...?" She paused, then giggled. "Must be a little kid." With that, she continued on until she found a real sentry station, along with a sign beside it. Bree bent down to take a look.

 **Absolutely NO MOVING!**

"O...kay then." She gave a shrug, starting to walk past the sentry station, when a bit of movement caught her eye.

A dog monster with squinty eyes peeked out from the sentry station, eyes looking around shiftily. "I swear there's movement out here...!" He muttered. Bree froze. Maybe he couldn't see her? "Man," The dog monster continued. "It sucks that I can only see if something's moving...! Better use my blue attack - it won't hurt anything that's staying still, and humans can't do that!"

Suddenly, the area surrounding Bree turned black, her entire person losing its color save for the little blue heart she'd become familiar with during her fall. She'd been thrown into a battle.

 *** Doggo blocks the way confusedly!**

The four buttons appeared. Immediately, Bree went to **[ACT]**.

 *** Check**

 *** Pet**

Petting involved movement, and Bree didn't want to give away her position just yet...Besides, she'd made it a habit to make sure she knew what she was dealing with before doing anything. Especially after that flower...That in mind, she hit *** Check**. Text appeared in front of her.

 *** DOGGO 6 ATK 1 DEF**

 *** Easily excited by movement. Hobbies include: tennis balls.**

"Don't move a muscle! If you have them...!" Doggo said, before a blue sword-shaped attack advanced towards Bree's soul at the bottom of the box. Bree stayed completely still, letting it pass through her.

 *** Doggo can't seem to find anything...**

The buttons reappeared. The Irish girl hit **[ACT]** , then frowned. Doggo's name wasn't yellow, yet...maybe now she should pet him? She knew he only had blue attacks, now, so it was worth the risk. She chose *** Pet** , then reached out slowly and gently pet the dog monster's head.

Immediately, Doggo's eyes went wide, shocked. "W-What?! Again?! Where is that petting coming from...?!" Bree bit back a giggle, scratching behind his ear. His eyes were as wide as saucers now. "WHERE DID IT COME FROM...?!" He launched another blue attack, hoping to find the source of the petting blindly. Bree stood still.

 *** Doggo has been pet.**

Bree hit **[ACT]** as the buttons reappeared, and sighed in relief. Finally, a yellow name. She quickly backed out of the **[ACT]** menu and hit **[MERCY]**.

The battle ended, and Doggo looked around, unnerved. "S-S-S-Something pet me AGAIN...! I-I-I'm gonna need some doggie treats for this...!" He quickly sunk back below the counter, tossing 30G out at whoever'd spared him.

Bree picked up the gold coins. "Um...do you want this back, or...?"

"monsters will give you money out of gratitude for sparing them."

She jumped, nearly dropping the G, then spotted a familiar face in the shade of a tree. "Sans!"

Sans grinned, giving a nod in her direction. "yo."

"You gave me a heart attack!" She said in her defense, then paused, thinking over what he'd said, and looked down at the coins. "...It's alright if I keep this?"

"yeah, you can keep it." The skeleton pushed himself off the tree. "so, remember my bro, papyrus?"

Bree smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I found his sentry station back there. It's cute."

"yep. he barely had time to go back and change the sign when he became the king."

She blinked in surprise. "So...he's really king?"

"yup. things haven't been easy lately, what with the last king's death." He replied.

The words were spoken casually, but they held a certain weight behind them. Bree frowned at that. "What happened?"

Sans' eyesockets didn't change, but he seemed to look through her, sending a chill down her spine. "the last king was killed by a human."

Bree stiffened. "Oh..."

"but that's not the only reason the people are devastated." The monster shoved his hands into his pockets. "remember the barrier i told you about?"

"Yes?" Bree replied.

His ethereal eyelights were now focused directly on her own eyes. "if we have the equivalent of seven human souls, we could shatter it to set all monsters free."

She felt her blood run cold at that. Warily, she stepped back, covering her heart with her hand. "The blue heart, right? That's what the flower said..."

"right." That Cheshire cat grin was back...spooky. "but don't worry, i don't plan on taking yours. the point is, not too long ago, we had six souls, then the last human we'd need fell down." He glanced off to the side. " **they** didn't kill many people. only the ones who frightened **them**. asgore, our former king, was among them. the human took his soul, and escaped through the barrier...and the six human souls we already had disappeared."

"That..." Bree found herself at a loss for words. This skeleton seemed to have a knack for that..."That has to be so frustrating..." She finally managed to say. "And sad..."

"it was." Sans agreed. "so...paps stepped up to the throne. he was the only one willing to do it. we've got four human souls since he's come to the throne, all of whom died during the trials."

"Trials?"

"puzzles set up to test humans." His grin widened a little, though in something...else. Not amusement. "as of yet, no one's survived them."

Bree frowned. "Okay...I...guess I'll get to them when I get to them...?"

"yup. first up is the electric maze. shocking as that is to believe." He joked, giving her a wink.

The Irish woman was silent for a moment. "...I'd laugh if I wasn't terrified by all the bombshells."

He nodded. "completely understandable."

"Right. So, I'm going to keep going..."

Sans took that as his cue to leave and gave a lazy salute. "alright, see ya later," He said, before his eye flashed blue. And just like that, he was gone.


	3. Nyeh Heh Heh!

HALT! NEXT UP IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! TOUCH THE WALLS AND YOU'LL BE SHOCKEDTHOROUGHLY!

(NOTE: THE WALLS WILL PULSE WITH ELECTRICITY EVERY FIVE SECONDS .)

Bree bit back a groan as she read the sign. "Invisible...great..." She looked the square patch of icy ground over. It couldn't really be invisible...right? That was impossible. There had to be wires or censors or something...

Then again, these were monsters...meaning the maze was most likely a magic one...

Just then, something caught her eye in the area in front of her. It was just a glimmer, but...

 _1...2...3...4..._

And there it was. The walls were just barely outlined as they pulsated with electricity, appearing shimmery, like when the hood of a car was too hot. Bree took a deep breath. So long as she timed it right and was careful...

 _1...2...3...4..._

As soon as the walls were visible, Bree quickly made her move, only stopping when they vanished. She continued on like this for awhile, biding her time until her path was clear, and freezing when it wasn't.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain stout, blue-hooded skeleton was watching her every move, ready to dart in and snatch her soul should she make a wrong move.

Finally, Bree managed to get through the invisible maze unscathed. She breathed a sigh of relief, leaning against a tree and trying to calm herself down-

"good job there."

She jumped, whirling around to come face to face with the short monster. "Would you stop doing that?!" She all but shouted. There went her heart rate again...

"sorry, comes with the job." Sans shrugged, ever-present grin not even faltering. "anyways, you're doing good so far."

"Uh-huh..." Bree glanced back at the maze. "That was nerve-wracking..."

"sure looked like it."

She hesitated. "What's next...?" She asked apprehensively.

Sans tucked his hands into his pockets. "the next one's a little trickier. you've gotta turn the Xs on the ground into Os."

Bree frowned. "How is that trickier?"

"if you turn an O into a Δ, it'll activate spikes."

"Oh, great. I'm going to get impaled." The Irish woman deadpanned.

Sans grinned wider, amused. "only if you're not careful."

Bree blinked. "Well, then..." She turned away from him to continue walking, and he vanished, shortcutting into the treeline to watch her next challenge.

This one seemed simple enough at first glance. Just a pattern of Xs and Os in the snow, seemingly random. However, as Bree looked around for where to start, she noticed that, with the snow poffs and ice, if she went the wrong way, she'd end up landing on an O twice. That would most likely be what turned it into a Δ, she deduced. She couldn't afford to mess up - that in mind, she started to draw possible solutions on the snow in front of her.

Finally, she came across the right one, her drawing finger red and numb from the cold. She memorized the path, then quickly went through the puzzle, turning the blue Xs into Os.

"well done."

Suddenly, all the Os turned green under her feet, and she jumped, whirling around to see Sans standing on a button. "Quit it...!" She demanded.

He grinned brightly. "nope."

Oh, he was so doing this on purpose...

Bree frowned. "I get the feeling you're stalking me..." She said, leaning against a snow wall.

Sans shrugged. "i need to keep an eyesocket on you, pal."

"No, you really don't..."

"actually, yeah, i do." He looked at her seriously. "human souls can easily be damaged if they're not cared for."

The Irish woman stiffened, putting a hand over her heart. "You're not getting it."

"only if you die in the puzzles."

"You strike me as more dangerous than the puzzles."

Sans rolled his eyelights. "oh please, you can punch me and i'm dead."

"Yeah, and you'd probably shoot me or something before I could." She replied, crossing her arms.

He raised an eyeridge. "i could only deal 1 HP to you." He responded.

"Which you wouldn't be telling me if you didn't have some other hidden trick to compensate." She sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "Whatever. I don't care." She turned and continued walking. "Could you stop stalking me?"

"like i said, it's my job to follow."

The sound of his heavy footsteps - which made her wonder how a skeleton could possibly be heavy - alerted Bree that he was, in fact, still following. She glanced back. "Which you could do without being a creep."

Sans shrugged. "if i'm out in the open, i'm technically violating the rules."

"What rules?"

"i'm not allowed to interfere or tell you the correct way of solving a puzzle. if i stay out, my facial reaction could give it away." He pointed a mitten-covered thumb at his chest. "ergo, i have to hide."

Bree sighed. "Great..." She muttered. Just what she needed - a skeleton that couldn't leave her alone.

"though, i could walk with you and just hide when you start." He came up next to her, casually walking as if they were already good friends. "that make ya feel any better?"

She glance at him. "I guess." There was that old saying about keeping your enemies closer than your friends, after all, and as far as she was concerned, he wasn't on her side.

"alright." He grinned again - when had he stopped smiling? - and pulled out a bottle of ketchup.

Bree raised an eyebrow. "Ketchup?"

"yup." And then, as if it were a bottle of soda, he popped off the cap and guzzled the red condiment.

She eyed him oddly. "...You have weird tastes."

"that i do."

* * *

They walked in silence for a while, before Bree finally decided to break the awkward atmosphere that she was pretty sure only affected her. "So..."

"yeah?"

"You got anything to talk about...?"

She could have kicked herself. That was horrible. Thankfully, the skeleton beside her didn't seem to mind. "if you make it to snowdin town, you're gonna meet paps."

That piqued her interest. "What's he like?"

"fantastic. everyone loves him."

"Really?"

"yup." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "it's one of the reasons he became king, too. he already knows everyone down here, and he just makes them so happy when he's around."

"Is he a good king?"

Sans nodded. "amazing. if anything, things are improving." He grinned. "my bro's the coolest."

Bree thought about it for a moment. "Well...what's he going to do when I meet him? Being human and everything..."

"become your friend. he has that effect on people."

"Including humans?" She asked in surprise.

"yup."

She fell silent for a moment, thinking this over. "He's gotta be a really trusting guy..."

"you could go at him with a knife and he'd calmly support you."

Her eyes widened. "Wow..."

Sans gave her a sideways glance. "of course, no one down here would ever do that."

"'Down here', huh?" Bree looked at him curiously. "Did someone else try that? From up top?"

The skeleton was silent for a moment, his eyesockets going dark for a brief second. "...a long time ago, yeah."

"And he's alright?"

"perfectly fine." Sans' chill attitude was back. "i run on my opponents' LOVE. and they were pretty high."

"LOVE?"

"it's an acronym. level of violence. the higher it is, the more people you've hurt and are willing to hurt."

"What's the E?"

"the end of violence."

"Ah..." She was silent for a moment. "So you wiped them out."

"because i had to." He put his hands behind his head. "a judge like me has to eliminate targets with more than ten LOVE."

Bree raised an eyebrow, confused. "Judge? As in...court judge?"

Sans looked as if he were searching for the right words. "judge, as in...i judge the weight of someone's sins and eliminate them myself."

Her eyes widened, and she blanched, looking whiter than the snow they were walking through. Sans glanced at her, and smiled, amused. "but you're good. you haven't gone up at all throughout your life."

It still didn't put her at ease. "Right..."

"welp, we're nearly to the next puzzle."

Immediately, her mind shifted to be more calculating. "Which is..?"

"it's like the last one, but you have to slide across ice to press an X. if you start heading in one direction, you can't stop."

She nodded slowly. "And the lethal consequence...?"

"if you slide in the wrong direction, you'll fall. slide on the same spot twice, spikes will activate."

"...Brilliant. Okay." She walked ahead to find the puzzle he was talking about. "No chance I could get a hint-" She turned to ask.

But there was nobody there to give her an answer.

Of course not. Because nothing could ever be easy in a dark cave full of monsters.

* * *

Finishing yet anothe puzzle, she wasn't even startled when Sans appeared from nowhere yet again. Honestly...he was practically everywhere at once.

"see?" He said casually. "easy. you've got the hang of it."

"I guess so." Bree said, then started walking.

Sans decided that now was as good a time as ever to start asking questions, especially with the last puzzle on the way. "so...how are you with people?"

Bree laughed a little, as if it were a joke. "Great with them. Have to be when you're the oldest of eight."

"alright...would you say you're good at diffusing arguments?"

"I guess...?" She gave him a questioning look. "What's with the sudden 20 questions game?"

"no reason."

"You're a really odd guy."

"so i've been told."

After a minute or so of silence, they got to a grayed out tile area. Bree blinked. "What's this supposed to be?"

"the colored tile maze." In the blink of an eye, Sans was on the other side, beside a machinery box. "alright, color meaning - you can't touch red, pink does nothing, blue is water so you can swim through them, yellow tiles are electric and will shock you if you try stepping on them, and water tiles next to them will also be electric. green will sound an alarm that summons a monster for you to fight, orange will make you orange-scented, so avoid water because the piranhas in it love oranges, purple is soap and will slide you to the next tile if possible and will make you smell like lemons, which cancels out the scent of oranges. got it?"

Bree carefully repeated back the basics of what she'd heard. "No touching red, pink is fine, blue is water, yellow is electric, green is a monster, orange makes water impassable, purple moves you to another tile but makes the water passable again...?"

"right."

"Got it."

"alright." The skeleton flicked the switch, causing the tiles to switch up in a multicolored flash. "let's see what you get."

Bree watched the cascade of rainbow. "What if it makes a puzzle that has no solution?"

"then i redo it." Finally, the colors settled into a wide variety of tile differences. Sans glanced it over, high IQ making short work of the puzzle in no time. "okay, knock yourself out."

"And this _does_ have a solution?"

"yes."

"Okay..." Bree carefully started to make her way through the puzzle. And, while her nerves fried and her heart pounded, not wanting to make a wrong move and be electrocuted or eaten alive, Sans just casually watched, drinking a bottle of ketchup.

Where'd he get it? Nobody knows.

* * *

Thirty minutes.

Thirty adrenaline-filled minutes of near-death terror. And finally, finally, Bree had reached solid snow. Sans grinned as she cleared the last puzzle. "good job."

Bree was too adrenaline-charged right now to properly register it for a moment. "Thanks, I guess...what's next...?"

"now we go to snowdin." He replied. "and i grab paps so he can meet you."

"Okay, then..."

Sans guided her through the remainder of the forest and across a stone bridge that had been painted to look wooden, until a cute little town came into view. Monsters were happily going about their day, and the entirety of the town seemed to radiate a happy theme, from the "WELCOME TO SNOWDIN" sign to the large two-story wooden house decorated in (out-of-season) Christmas lights. Bree looked around in awe. Who knew such a nice place could be underground...?

"you know, you're the first human to see paps since he became king."

Sans' voice jerked her from her thoughts. "I am?" She replied.

The skeleton nodded. "mhm. the other four couldn't make it through the puzzles."

Bree swallowed, her good mood immediately dampened. "Got it..."

He smiled a little brighter. "don't worry, paps doesn't like killing people. the puzzles are only for the less-than-kind people."

"Then why'd I go through them?" She asked. She thought herself pretty nice, even if a little stubborn...

...Okay, a lot stubborn.

Sans shrugged. "to make sure, y'know? never can be too sure.

"Uh-huh..." Bree paused, her stomach growling reminding her that she hadn't eaten since she'd found that monster candy in the Ruins. "Is there anywhere I could get some food...? I haven't eaten in awhile..."

The judge nodded. "yeah, there's a diner here in snowdin."

"Would I be allowed...?"

"oh, yeah, you'll be fine." Sans said, waving it off as if a human wasn't a big deal anymore.

Bree gave him a look. "Strike confidence in people, don't you?" She said, before starting towards the diner.

Sans watched her for a moment, before pulling out his cell phone and dialing up his brother.

Papyrus picked up immediately. "HELLO?"

"hey, bro," The short skeleton responded. "it's sans. the human's in snowdin with me."

His brother's enthusiasm was audible. "OH, GOODIE! I'LL BE OVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!"

"cool." He hung up, and looked up to find the Irish woman he'd been guiding staring at him. "what?"

Bree eyed him critically. "How do you get cell reception underground...?"

Sans shrugged. "magic science."

"Right. Of course." Bree said tiredly.

He stepped in front of her, going for the diner. "hey, you're talking to a living skeleton - it isn't the strangest thing ever." He pushed the door open, revealing a well-lit diner with several monsters inside, playing card games, eating, and talking with each other. A fire monster stood behind the counter, polishing a glass. Sans waved to get his attention. "hey, grillbz."

The fire monster - Grillby, Bree guessed from the sign - looked up. "Hello." He focused his attention on Bree.

She froze, not used to being a center of attention. "Um...hi."

He gave her a nod, understanding her predicament. "Would you like a burger and some fries?"

"Yes, please..." Bree reached into her pocket, fishing around for the G she'd gotten from the monsters she'd battled. "How much?"

Sans held out a hand to stop her. "nah, just put it on my tab."

Grillby nodded, pulling out a long, double-sided piece of paper and adding to it before going to the back to fill the order.

"Thanks..." Bree said to the skeleton, sitting at a barstool.

Sans sat next to her. "no prob, rob."

The redhead giggled. "Heard it before."

"is that so?"

"Mhm. One of my brothers did jokes like that all the time."

Sans chuckled. "heh, sounds like my kinda sibling...paps hates puns."

Bree nodded slowly. "Noted..."

He shrugged. "but don't worry. he's too peaceful to act on it."

"Explain the death traps, then." She replied, crossing her arms.

Sans leaned on the counter, his mitten-covered hand supporting his skull. "that wasn't entirely his idea, you see." He explained. "he planned on having humans go through the puzzles and letting them live if they made it through, but the council didn't want that, so...they were altered."

Grillby set a plate of food in front of Bree, and she gave him a thank you before starting to eat. "Seems harsh..." She replied.

"it needed to happen. the first three humans were dangerously close to a love of eleven."

"And the fourth?"

"a little above ten. the puzzles did my job for me."

"Alright, I guess..." Yet she, who apparently had a violence level that was nonexistent, had still had to go through them. So, if Sans was telling the truth, she suspected that their levels were just a convenient excuse. "Doesn't make me feel any better..." She mumbled, biting into a fry.

Sans grabbed a bottle of ketchup from the counter. "well, you're alright now. any minute, paps'll come in and-"

"SANS!"

Bree jumped, startled at the loud, enthusiastic voice, and quickly looked over her shoulder. Standing in the doorway was a much taller skeleton (he had to have been at least six and a half feet tall). Upon his head was a red-bejeweled crown, and a red cape fell over his shoulders. A winged circle stood as the clasp of the cape, with three triangles on his silver-gray tunic completing a symbol of some sort. Underneath that was a set of blue trousers that were neatly tucked into leather boots. The skeleton turned his attention to her. "OH, YOU MUST BE THE HUMAN!" He cleared his throat, standing up straight with a smile. "GREETINGS! I AM KING PAPYRUS, CURRENT LEADER OF THEENTIRE UNDERGROUND! WHAT'S YOUR NAME?"

Still in partial shock at the new skeleton's appearance, Bree struggled for words. "I'm...I'm Bree O'Connor, sir..." She finally managed.

Papyrus' smile widened. "YOU CAN JUST CALL ME PAPYRUS!"

A king wanting to be referred to informally...? Everything about this place was throwing Bree for a loop. "A-Alright then..." She replied.

"IT'S GOOD TO MEET YOU, BREE ." The king replied, sitting on the other side of Sans.

The Irish woman finally smiled, liking the king's cheerful demeanor. "You too, Papyrus."

He gave her a cheerful grin. "I MUST SAY, BREE, I'M IMPRESSED THAT YOU PASSED ALL THE PUZZLES!"

"It definitely wasn't easy..." She agreed. That was putting it lightly, but they were his puzzles, after all, and she didn't want to unintentionally insult him.

Papyrus nodded. "MHM! IT'S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I'VE SEEN A HUMAN!"

Glad for the change in topic, Bree smiled. "Sans told me that. What was the last one like?"

"THE LAST HUMAN I MET WAS QUIET ..." He replied, but there was something...off.

"Ah...Okay, then." Maybe it was a sore topic? Time to change tactics. "So...are there more puzzles or am I good to go...?"

He immediately brightened. "NO MORE PUZZLES! NOW YOU GET TO COME LIVE IN NEW HOME!"

"New Home...?" What a name.

"IT'S WHERE I LIVE NOW!" Papyrus explained.

Suddenly, Bree had a thought. "Is...it near the barrier?" Maybe she could find some sort of weak point and go home?

The king looked at her quizzically. "IT'S CLOSE ...WHY?"

"No reason..." Bree replied.

He must have taken her softened tone to imply nervousness. "WELL, NO NEED TO WORRY!" He reassured her. "SO LONG AS YOULIVE WITH ME, NO ONE WILL HARM YOU!"

The ginger straightened up. "Wait, what?" She asked, in partial shock yet again. "Live with you?"

"WELL, YES!"

"Not in a different building?"

"NOPE! MY HOUSE!"

"I...um..." She searched for words. She really didn't want to potentially upset the king of the monsters, but she still wanted to say something about the predicament of living in someone's house...however, it seemed there really was no way to have the best of both worlds. She sighed. "Alright, I guess..."

"OKAY, THEN!" Papyrus said. "WHEN YOU'RE DONE EATING, WE CAN GO HOME ."

"Kay..." Bree gave a nod, then returned to eating. Who knows? Maybe she could get home in the next day or so and laugh about this later.

When she finished, Papyrus stood up. "READY?"

"Sure." Bree replied. Again with the questions she had no idea how to reply to...

"wanna take a shortcut?"

She blinked, looking over at the shorter skeleton. "Shortcut?"

Sans set down the empty ketchup bottle. "that thing where i teleport."

So that's how he'd been getting all over the place and appearing out of nowhere. "I guess so." She replied. Teleportation should blow her out of the water right now - but at this point, she was all surprised out. All she wanted was a shower and some sleep at this point.

Papyrus gave a nod. "ALRIGHT ..." He didn't seem overly thrilled about the prospect of teleporting, either.

"okay then, stay close to me."

Bree and Papyrus each grabbed one of Sans' arms. In a blur of blue magic, they suddenly appeared directly in front of the castle. Bree was completely startled, and stumbled dizzily, nearly losing her balance.

Fortunately for her, a pair of gloved hands was ready to catch her. Papyrus helped her to her feet, looking at her in genuine concern. "ARE YOUOKAY?"

"Yeah..." She replied, regaining her footing. "I-I'm okay. Just caught me off-guard is all."

"ALRIGHT ...WELL, HERE WE ARE!"

She looked up, expecting to see an actual house.

Instead, she found herself face to face with a huge castle, made of white, marble-like stone with blue streaks running through it. The castle was so tall, it seemed to reach the "stars" themselves. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale, in all honesty. Bree's eyes widened in shock. "Here...?!"

"MHM!"

"Wow..."

"YEAH ..." Papyrus rubbed the back of his neck. "TO BE HONEST, IT FEELS SORTA EMPTY WITH SO FEW PEOPLE LIVING HERE ..."

Living here. That's right. "So...I stay here for now?"

The king smiled enthusiastically. "YES!"

"Okay...where at?"

"ANYWHERE IN THE CASTLE YOU LIKE!"

"Well...what's available?" Bree turned to face him. "Can you show me around?"

Papyrus nodded. "SURE!" He took her hand gently and led her inside.

The castle turned out to be even more awe-inducing on the inside. The sheer amount of rooms was something to marvel at, but the size of them...the kitchen was enormous, the dining room could fit over three times her family, there was a room set aside for balls...Once again, Bree began to wonder if she were dreaming or not.

Eventually, they got to the bedrooms. Honestly, Bree would have been happy with any of these, given how nice they all were. But since she had a choice..."I think I like this one."

The room she had selected had a large bed, a bookshelf, an ornate wardrobe, a hope chest at the foot of the bed, a large dresser with a mirror, a desk, and a walk-out window balcony.

Papyrus peeked inside, then nodded in approval. "OKAY THEN! YOU CAN HAVE THIS ONE!"

Bree smiled. "Thank you."

"YOU'RE WELCOME, BREE! DO YOU WANT ANYTHING?" Papyrus asked, smiling back.

She thought about it for a moment. "Well, a shower would be nice...and a washing machine. I need to wash my clothes." To include the jacket she'd found in the Ruins...

Papyrus nodded. "OKAY! YOU CAN TAKE A SHOWER WHILE I DO YOUR LAUNDRY!"

Her eyes widened. "Y-You don't have to...!"

"BUT I WANT TO!" He insisted. "YOU'RE MY GUEST, AFTER ALL!"

"But you're the king...!"

Papyrus blinked in confusion. "SO ...?"

"So...don't you have a castle staff or something...?" Bree asked. "You're supposed to be above menial tasks, aren't you?"

"OH, I PREFER TO DO MOST OF THE WORK MYSELF!"

"Why?"

He shrugged. "IT'S JUST WHAT I'M USED TO!"

Maybe he really hadn't been king very long. Most kings would have maids do it all, right? "If you say so...where's the shower?"

"THIS WAY!" He took her hand again, leading her to the shower at the end of the hall. "OKAY, HERE IT IS!"

"Thank you." She paused. "Um...do you want my to put my clothes outside the door, or...?"

"YES, PLEASE ."

"Okay." Bree went inside, closing the door, then opened it just slightly to reach around and put her clothes on the ground outside it.

Papyrus picked them up, humming as he left to go put them in the wash.

It was nice to have someone new around to talk to. And he'd be more than willing to do things for her to keep her happy during her stay in the Underground.


	4. For the Good of the Underground

"Hm..." The king's personal adviser was nose-deep in his notes. He'd been through several alternate plans should the human not be able to pass the puzzles. In all honesty, that was the most likely outcome. Nobody had been able to get through all of them - a fortunate thing, given their reported **LOVE**. But unfortunate now, what with the council wanting Papyrus to marry and his potential wife being put through a gauntlet of death.

"hey."

He looked up to see a familiar stout skeleton. "Sans!" He exclaimed, then felt his soul rise a bit with hope. "Did you get any more information on the human?"

Sans nodded. "she's good with people and is good at defusing a situation."

No confirmation of death. That showed promise. "How is she under stress?"

"she handles it well. she knew the dangers of each puzzle, and remained perfectly calm."

The adviser's eyes bugged out. "She got through them all...?!"

"even the random path." Sans replied, looking almost...proud.

"Wow..." The adviser took a moment to compose himself and get to the important questions. "How's her intelligence?"

"i would say she's rather intelligent."

"Is she articulate?"

"yes."

"What's her trait?"

"integrity."

That was even better. Humans with Integrity trait were known to keep their word and uphold their morals. He began to write all of this down. "Good, good...how is she with children?"

"really good. she was the eldest of eight."

"Sounds like a rabbit monster..." The adviser mused. "Has she met the king?"

"she now has her own room in the castle." The skeleton answered.

"She's here?"

"mhm. she took a shower as soon as she picked out a room."

Now, for the million G question..."When she was around the king, was she respectful?"

Sans smiled. A genuine smile, not the usual one he wore in any situation. "yes."

The adviser returned the smile. "She sounds like a good candidate, then."

"agreed."

* * *

The Council had been busy talking for about an hour now. Honestly, most of it went over Papyrus' head - why should he pass new laws if they'd make people unhappy? Wasn't that his job as king? To keep his people happy? And he thought he was doing such a good job already...

Papyrus snapped out of his thoughts when he realized that the chatter had died down, and the Council was looking at him expectantly. His cheeks taking on a dusting of orange in his embarrassment at having been caught withdrawn into his mind, he cleared his throat. "OKAY, WHAT ELSE IS THERE FOR TODAY?"

It was then that his adviser stood up. "Your Majesty, members of the Council, may I make a suggestion in regards to the issue of the lack of a queen?"

 _That_ got the king's attention. "GO AHEAD!"

"What is it?" Burnell asked, intrigued.

The adviser turned to look at Papyrus. "Your Highness, as time goes by, the people grow more and more disheartened. As much as I would like to see you take the time to find someone of your choosing, I am unsure if the Underground would wait so long for their queen." He returned his attention to the rest of the monsters gathered. "Members of the Council, I'm aware that the next and most plausible option would be an arranged marriage to promote the king's reign, and I believe I've found a good candidate."

"And that would be?"

"There's a human female who passed through all - ALL - of the Ruins and Snowdin puzzles of her own volition and skill. She is well-spoken, polite to her superiors, socially adept, has a **LOVE** of 1, without a single EXP to her name. I believe her to be the best choice not only for these qualities, but because, as a human, she would inspire new hope in our people of peace with humankind, much in the way Chara did when King Asgore and Queen Toriel adopted them."

Burnell tapped his chin in thought, flames flickering slightly higher. This _did_ sound appealing..."Are you sure we should do this?"

Papyrus, on the other hand, didn't like the idea at all. "...HAVE YOU SPOKEN TO HER ABOUT THIS?" He asked. He liked Bree...He didn't want to ruin anything by forcing her.

"In order, yes and no. I wished to present the suggestion to the Council and Your Majesty first. But we are short on time. The morale of the people is dying away, and they need a new hope, a brighter hope, to focus upon. A disheartened people does not do well, leading to economical decline in the best of situations, and rioting and rebellion in the worst."

There was a deafening silence that followed that statement. Papyrus was the last person to force anything on anyone. Especially the new redhead who'd just gotten his blessing and been allowed to live in his castle. But...his adviser had a point. It'd been getting harder and harder to keep the people of the underground happy, as he'd said. Papyrus wasn't so worried about the rebelling against his leadership as he was concerned about his peoples' welfare. And...when he'd taken oath, he'd promised to do what was best for his people.

And Papyrus never broke a promise.

"...VERY WELL."

Several council members turned to look at him in shock. "Your Majesty, are you sure?" Burnell asked, the bright blue of his flames flickering high, both with hope and surprise. "There's no going back if you do this."

The king took a deep breath. "YES."

His adviser smiled. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"YOU'RE WELCOME."

But it was devoid of the usual pep he'd have when responding to appreciation...

* * *

Burnell was practically beside himself. The king would finally be wed, the people would have hope, and finally, _finally,_ they could put the actions of **that** human behind them and brighten the kingdom's spirits. He took great pride in having helped orchestrate this very scenario, just as he had all those years ago when advising King Asgore, rest his soul, to make no secret of Chara's existence and to adopt the human child into the royal family. But a new queen, a human queen, would surely double or possibly even triple the impact. The fire monster eagerly went to the room he'd been directed to, knocking on the door.

But nobody came.

In an instant, his good mood dimmed, as well as the flames of his body. Why wasn't she answering? He carefully opened the door, peeking inside. "Hello...?"

The large, nearly pristine (Bree had left her socks on the ground and her bed unmade) room was empty, with no sign of the ginger-haired human. Burnell's flames went nearly white with panic, before shutting the door and running around the castle, on the search for the missing girl. She couldn't have gone far, right?

* * *

Twilight shone through the barrier, obscured as though through frosted glass. Bree, however, had no interest in the amber light pouring through. Rather, the structural integrity of the barrier itself was what had her attention. She knocked on it with her knuckles, feeling sharp resistance. "Yeesh..." she muttered. "It's like a brick wall." She sat down, thinking, and pulled out a notebook, starting to write. "Okay, so, human soul plus monster soul is enough to get through...human souls must be stronger, otherwise the monsters would have found a way to use monster souls...so whatever makes human souls stronger has to be what gets the barrier open..." She quickly sketched out the basics of souls that she knew so far.

"Bree O'Connor?"

Bree jumped to her feet, spinning around and putting her hands in the air. "I didn't do anything, I swear! I'm just looking!" She defended.

Burnell sighed in relief. "It's quite alright. I just need to inform you of something."

"What...?"

"We have reached the agreement on the fact that His Majesty requires a queen, as a royal marriage would boost morale for the kingdom." The fire monster explained, plain and simple. "The ideal solution would be a skeleton, but His Majesty and his brother are the last two skeletons alive. So the next best solution was...a human."

Bree felt her blood run cold as everything he said pieced together in her mind. "...No. No, you are _not_ suggesting what I think you are."

"What we have agreed upon is that you, Miss O'Connor, are the ideal candidate to marry His Majesty." Burnell replied, confirming her suspicions.

"And who's 'we'?" The Irish woman demanded. "Where's _my_ say in this?"

The fire monster rubbed his face, knowing these sort of questions would be asked of him. "We as in the Council. His Majesty understands the situation will be difficult for you to accept, but please understand that the Underground needs this."

"Yeah, well, I need to get home. Do I get that? No."

"Miss O'Connor, please, just hear me out, okay?"

Bree crossed her arms. "What else is there to hear?"

Burnell folded his hands behind his back. "Morale for the kingdom is low - it has been even before King Asgore passed away."

"I heard as much."

"In the past, morale skyrocketed when King Asgore and Queen Toriel - bless their souls - adopted the first fallen human." The blue fire monster continued. "A marriage between the current king and a human is sure to bring up morale rates and prevent any problems yet to break out in the Underground."

Bree leaned her shoulder against the cavern wall. "See, I don't think so. Do you want to know why?"

"Go on." Burnell replied.

"The previous king, as I understand, was killed by a panicked human. Who also killed a few other people. Sure, having a human queen would boost _most_ peoples' morale," The redhead explained, "But what about the people that have a grudge against humans for what happened before? I've already been attacked by a few random monsters in the Ruins and Snowdin. What's to stop an assassination attempt? I'm a target."

Burnell sighed. "Miss O'Connor, monsters are known to fight each other if startled. It was likely that you showing up so suddenly just startled those monsters."

"You're not answering my questions." Bree said, blue-gray eyes narrowed. "What about the people that are holding a grudge? What's going to prevent an assassination?"

"Has His Majesty's brother, Sans, explained his role to you yet?" Burnell asked.

She shrugged. "He's a judge. He kills people with a certain violence level. And he's a creep when he wants to be."

"While all of his stats are only at 1, he is still a monster that commands fear."

"So?"

"So, the point is, no one would dare attack with the knowledge that he would be on their tails."

"Uh-huh...forgive me if I'm skeptical." Bree turned away from him, back towards the barrier. This time, rather than trying to science her way through it, she tried to make out the sun on the other side; her freedom that was so close, yet so very, very far away.

"If it will bring you comfort of mind, we will position at least one guard with you."

"Why are you telling me all this stuff?" Bree asked, not looking at him. The sun was much more preferable a view.

There was a moment of silence from the Council leader. "...Because I want my children to be able to have a future."

"So? Why are you wasting time trying to talk me into this when I don't have a choice anyways?" She replied. "What's the point of that?"

"I'm simply trying to make you as comfortable with this as possible - if you're unhappy, it would show."

"I can act."

"And His Majesty is horrible at it."

"Then you should be talking to him, not me."

Burnell sighed. "The problem is that he refuses to share his load. If you are uncertain of this, he will perform all of your duties as well in an attempt to cheer you."

At that, Bree fell silent. There was no way out of this, no way to keep herself _to_ herself. She rested her hand on the barrier, wishing so badly that she could see the sun in the open, to watch it set and go home to her family.

"Please," The monster pleaded, "Just give him a try."

"Again, I don't have a choice in the matter." Bree answered, voice dull and devoid of emotion. "Don't you have anything better to do...?"

"...I suppose I do not."

She sighed, sitting down on the ground, keeping her back to him. "I want to be alone..."

Burnell hesitated. "...If that is what you wish." And with that, he left.

As the last lights of twilight shone through the barrier, the young, redheaded woman fought back tears at her powerlessness with everything. "God..." she muttered, wiping at her eyes.

She'd never felt so alone.


	5. Conversations With a Side of Marinaria

_**Knock-knock-knock**_

"BREE? IT'S TIME FOR DINNER."

There was the voice of the last person she wanted to see, right outside her door. Bree turned over in her bed. "Not hungry." She replied curtly.

The king's concern was evident in his voice. "BUT YOU NEED TO EAT..."

Bree sighed. "Fifteen minutes, okay?"

"OKAY..." There was a long pause. "...I'M SORRY, BREE."

She hadn't been expecting that...He sounded so hurt. And despite her situation, he'd been nothing but kind to her. Aside from the whole wedding thing...Bree swallowed to fight back tears. "...It's fine." She managed to say.

"NO IT'S NOT...I'M FORCING YOU INTO MARRIAGE WHEN YOU HARDLY EVEN KNOW ME..."

"You're a king." The Irish woman replied, though more to tell herself than to tell him. "Your people come first."

"STILL...I DON'T LIKE FORCING PEOPLE..."

"...Yeah...okay..." Bree hugged the pillow she was resting on tightly.

"SO...I'M SORRY." He paused. "I HOPE THAT, ONE DAY, WE CAN BE FRIENDS AT LEAST..."

The redhead couldn't manage to speak a reply. She didn't have one.

"...I'LL SEE YOU AT DINNER, BREE."

She listened to the clicking steps of Papyrus' boots echo down the hallway, silent as they faded away. Only when she was sure she was alone did she allow herself to cry again.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the ginger queen-to-be walked into the dining room. It was large and refined; silver streaked marble floors, purple-curtained stained-glass windows, and a table equipped to seat a few dozen. Perhaps it was all of this which made it seem all the more lonely, the only people in the room being Bree and the Monster King.

"HELLO, BREE!" Papyrus said cheerily from his seat, then patted the spot next to him.

Bree sat down beside him, not wanting to make things worse by distancing herself. "Hey," She replied. "What's for dinner?"

"SPAGHETTI." He responding, handing over the plate.

The Italian dish was still giving off a little steam, and it smelled enticing. "Thank you." Bree said, before taking a bite.

The king looked at her hopefully. "DO YOU LIKE IT...?"

The spaghetti was...well, it wasn't the most spectacular spaghetti she'd ever had, but it tasted great.

"It's pretty good." Bree replied with a nod.

Papyrus smiled proudly. "THANK YOU!"

"You made it?"

"MHM!"

"Well, you're a good cook." The Irish woman said, before finishing the plate.

Papyrus' smile widened, finishing his own plate. "THANKS!"

Bree glanced around. "Um...is there a kitchen I can take my dishes to...?"

"I CAN TAKE THEM." Before she could protest, the king of all monsters took her dishes and his own, then left to clean them just like a regular person.

* * *

Papyrus hummed to himself as he cleaned the dishes. He honestly hadn't expected Bree to come out for dinner at all tonight, despite her promise of fifteen minutes. The engagement was quite the thing to take in, and...well, he wouldn't blame her for locking herself in a tower. But the fact that she came out, and that she was attempting to find a sense of normalcy, made him smile.

She'd liked his spaghetti, too, and _that_ he was proud of. He'd been perfecting his recipe for three years now. Most people thought it was so he could better feed the Underground, but that was far from the truth. Of course, he knew now that his original recipe had been flawed to the point of inedibility. But back then, it was perfect as it was. No, what had compelled him to aspire for even better cookery had been the memory of his late mentor, Undyne. She'd been his teacher and his best friend for several years, training him to be in the Royal Guard.

The fish monster was everything he'd aspired to be in life: brave, strong, popular, and determined. When he'd first met her, it had been in the middle of the night. He had been so desperate to be admired like she was that he'd been unable to wait until morning to beg her to train him. Undyne had slammed the door in his face and gone back to bed. But the next morning, Papyrus'd been right there, eagerly awaiting her return. She'd been so impressed with his dedication that she agreed to teach him personally.

The king grabbed a towel and started drying off the dishes. He remembered those days fondly. He'd started with basic weights and magic testing, but with his levels of ATK and DEF, not to mention his HP...Undyne had commented on more than one occasion that he was stronger than she'd ever expected from someone with no muscles. Of course, he'd promptly shown that off...

Undyne would be proud of him, he liked to think. He'd long ago seen through the lie of "she's on vacation" that Sans often still used. He'd bought it at first. He didn't want to believe that his brother, whom he trusted above everyone, could be lying to him. Even less that his best friend had lost the fight. But Sans _had_ been lying.

Undyne _had_ lost.

And Papyrus had lost someone very close to his soul.

His hands shook slightly as he put the dishes away. Undyne's funeral had been delayed for several months. They couldn't find the thing her dust would stick to, what she valued most. When they finally did find the treasured item - a book on the shelf labeled "To Undyne, From Alphys XOXO" - Papyrus had finally discovered the truth. He'd been watching the monsters check her house over, and it was when he saw what they were doing with the book that his soul felt like it was shattering. He'd nearly lost hope.

He'd nearly fallen to dust himself.

 _ ***Tssss...***_

The hissing sound of evaporating magic jolted Papyrus from his thoughts, and he looked around for the source, only to find a few fleeting drops of orange rapidly fading from his tunic. He reached up to touch his face.

He'd been crying, and he hadn't even realized it.

Papyrus took a deep breath, wiping away and dispelling the marmalade-colored magic. No. That was a long time ago. He would be strong now. The time for mourning had passed. Taking a moment to make sure there was no evidence of his lost composure, the tall skeleton turned and walked back into the dining room, back to see the pretty redhead that was to be his wife.

Bree looked up as he re-entered. "You really don't have to keep doing things for me." She said. "I'm used to work, you know."

Papyrus rubbed the back of his neck. "OH, RIGHT...SORRY."

"It's fine." She quickly replied. He wondered if it was because of his tone of voice.

Bree shifted in her seat. "So..." She started. "I know it's going to be a sort of...awkward and depressing topic for now, but I need to be able to plan." She took a deep breath, steeling herself. "When...when are you announcing the engagement...?"

Papyrus fidgeted slightly. "I...I DON'T KNOW. I WAS HOPING IT COULD WAIT UNTIL WE ACTUALLY GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER...?"

"To announce it...?" The Irish woman asked, surprised.

He glanced to the side. "I...WANT US TO KNOW EACH OTHER BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE HAPPENS."

Bree looked up at him, storm blue eyes clear and intelligent. "You're council's not gonna like it."

"MAYBE NOT..." The king said, "...BUT YOU DON'T SEEM TO BE HAPPY RIGHT NOW. I'M ALREADY TAKING YOUR SPECIAL DAY. NO NEED TO MAKE YOU SAD ABOUT IT."

That response drew a small smile from the human. "You're a nice person, Papyrus."

"THANK YOU, BREE." He said, then took a seat.

Bree leaned back in her chair. "So...what do you want to know?"

"WELL..." He thought for a minute. "YOU HAVE SEVEN SIBLINGS, RIGHT? WHAT'S THAT LIKE?"

"Stressful. Very stressful. They're all ridiculous."

The skeleton smiled. "I CAN ONLY IMAGINE. SANS IS MY ONLY SIBLING, AND YET I CAN HARDLY STAND HIM SOMETIMES."

"He said you hate puns. Right?" She asked.

"NOT QUITE...I LIKE THEM IN MODERATION, BUT SANS USED THEM TOO MUCH GROWING UP."

"I have four siblings that overuse them. Killian, Will, Paddy, and Chris."

"GOODNESS. IT'D BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO SURVIVE."

Bree laughed, a light, pretty sound, and Papyrus found himself chuckling with a smile along with her. "WHAT ABOUT YOUR OTHER SIBLINGS?" He asked, continuing the conversation.

The redhead smiled. "Alley's the third eldest. She tries to act like she's the mother whenever ma isn't around. A little on the bossy side, you know?"

"RIGHT." He nodded. "I KNOW WHAT THAT'S LIKE."

"Kelly's sixth in line." Bree said, leaning on the table. "She likes being the center of attention, has the whole princess act perfected, everything. She's cute, but she doesn't have any tact." She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "Peadar...he's...dramatic. As in, he'll tell you he found a penny with the same enthusiasm he'd use to say the kitchen's on fire."

"OH, WOW."

"Yep. He had this costume he'd wear all the time, too. Have you ever heard of Captain America?"

Ah, yes. A bit of that merchandaise had fallen into the garbage dump more recently. "YES, I HAVE."

"Well, Peadar decided that he was his favorite as soon as we moved to America. So he'd dress up in a Captain America outfit, and if you ever tried to call him Peadar while he was wearing it, he'd straighten up and say 'I'm not Peadar! I'm Captain America Peadar!'"

Papyrus chuckled at that, and Bree smiled. "So...that's the others."

The king nodded. "...NOW, I NOTICED YOUR ACCENT. IT'S IRISH, RIGHT?"

"Right. Waterford."

"THAT'S NICE!"

Bree looked up at him curiously. "You like my accent?"

"MHM! IT'S NICE!"

She smiled. "Thanks. Half the time, people don't understand me."

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE," Papyrus replied, frowning. "YOU'RE SPEAKING CLEARLY."

"Well, not everyone can hear me through my accent, so it'd sound to them like I'm speaking another language or something."

"OH...YEAH, THAT MAKES SENSE, I GUESS. I'VE DEALT WITH THAT ONCE OR TWICE."

"What accent do you have?" Bree asked, curious. "I hear it, but I don't recognize it."

"IT'S WHAT THE PAPYRUS FONT SOUNDS LIKE." He replied.

The ginger woman raised an eyebrow. "Font? Like...computer typefaces?"

"RIGHT! SKELETONS ARE NAMED AFTER FONTS, AND AS A RESULT THEY GET A PARTICULAR ACCENT AND WRITE IN THAT FONT."

"What font is Sans? There's a lot of fonts with "sans" in them."

"COMIC SANS."

Bree paused. "You know, given that he does jokes, that makes his name a pun itself."

"I KNOW, AND I HATE IT." He replied with a groan.

She giggled, before electing to change the topic. "So...tell me about you?"

Papyrus sat up straighter. "WELL, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW?"

"Um...well, what was it like before you became king?"

He smiled faintly, mind going back to the days spent with Undyne yet again. "I WAS TRYING TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD, ACTUALLY."

Bree was silent for a moment, then snapped her fingers, evidently remembering something. "I saw your sentry station, I think."

"AH, YES. I REMEMBER THAT STATION." He'd built it himself as a fort, originally, back when he'd first moved to Snowdin. It had been the box used to transport their refrigerator. Sans had helped him cut the hole in the front, and the sign there had been written by an ambitious young skeleton in the excitement of finally being accepted into Royal Guard training.

The note about him being king was for those who bothered to check the box, of course.

"So..." Bree said, interrupting his thoughts. "What was royal guard training like?"

"VERY PHYSICAL," He replied. "YOU HAD TO BE AT PEAK PHYSICAL CONDITIONS TO BE IN THE GUARD."

"Was it hard?"

Papyrus shrugged. "NOT REALLY. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN PRETTY POWERFUL."

The redhead gave him a curious look. "How exactly do you get to peak physical conditions?" She asked. "I'm new to magic and monsters and everything, but...you're a skeleton." She gestured to him. "No muscles."

A smile lit the young king's face. "MAGIC MUSCLES." He replied proudly, before pulling one arm out from under his cloak and flexing. Orange muscles appeared, made from his personal magic, and they were definitely something to look at. He'd been hitting the gym every day for years on end, and his training was nothing if not rigorous. And catching Bree's stare made him all the more proud of his strength. He smiled wider, and dispelled the magic, putting his arm away.

"That's...That's amazing." Bree said, awed.

The king politely bowed. "THANK YOU."

"So, who trained you?" The Irish woman asked, continuing the conversation.

Papyrus' smile dampened. "CAPTAIN UNDYNE."

"Who's that?"

"A FISH MONSTER." He hesitated. "SHE'S...NOT HERE."

"Not here...?"

He nodded. "DON'T TELL ANYONE THAT I KNOW, BUT...SHE WAS KILLED, ALONG WITH ASGORE." When she looked confused at that first part, he elaborated. "SANS THINKS I BELIEVE HIM WHEN HE SAYS THEY'RE ON VACATION, BUT...I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. THE HUMAN WAS FRIGHTENED."

Bree's eyes widened. "The one you saw before?"

"YES. THE LAST HUMAN BEFORE I BECAME KING." He rubbed the back of his neck. "IT...TOOK SOME TIME, BUT I FIGURED IT OUT."

"I'm so sorry..." She reached over, gently rubbing his shoulder.

Papyrus smiled again at the gesture, then focused on the positives. "BUT THINGS ARE GETTING BETTER, I THINK. FOR STARTERS, I'M NOT LETTING ANYONE GO HUNGRY. I'M USING MY RESOURCES AS KING TO DISTRIBUTE MEALS OUT TO THOSE WHO CAN'T AFFORD THEM."

"That's good." Bree said with a smile. "What else do you do as King?"

He leaned back a little in his chair. "WELL, I MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING IS FLOWING SMOOTHLY AND THAT EVERYONE IS DOING THEIR JOBS. I MAKE SURE EVERYONE'S WELL-FED AND HAS A PLACE TO SLEEP. AND I MAKE LAWS AND MAKE SURE PEOPLE STICK TO THEM."

"So then..." Bree started, hesitant. "What are my duties going to be as Queen...?"

"WE'LL BE SHARING RESPONSIBILITIES. EVERYTHING I DO, YOU'LL DO TOO."

"Could you be more specific?"

"YOU AND I WILL MAKE REGULAR ROUNDS ABOUT THE KINGDOM TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING'S OKAY AND SO THAT THE KINGDOM KNOWS THEIR KING AND QUEEN ARE INVOLVED."

"...Ah..."

Papyrus frowned, raising an eyeridge. "SOMETHING WRONG?"

Bree hesitated a moment. "I'm..." She searched for the right word. "Apprehensive."

"WHAT FOR?"

"Well..." Bree played with her fingers. "Human souls are needed to break the barrier. You have four. I could end up as the fifth. Some of the monsters _had_ to have loved the people the other human killed. And they won't like seeing a human taking the Queen's place...or in the Underground at all..."

The king reached over and gently took her hand, giving it a light, reassuring squeeze. "EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE, BREE. MONSTERS TEND TO BE VERY TRUSTING."

"I guess so..."

"I WON'T LET ANYONE HURT YOU. I PROMISE."

Bree smiled a little, looking up at him with gratitude. "Thank you."

Papyrus smiled back. "YOU'RE WELCOME."

And it was the first time he'd really meant those two words since this whole marriage thing started.


End file.
